The Asus Eee PC 1005PE is one of the first netbooks with Intel’s next-generation Pine Trail Atom. A number of publications have published reviews this morning of Asus’ 1.66GHz N450-powered 10.1-inch device.

Overall, the consensus seems to be that the Eee PC 1005PE offers superb battery times, thanks to the Pine Trail platform, although performance is barely different to what we’ve seen N270/N280 Atom-powered netbooks. Battery life results differ and it looks like you’ll be able to get around nine hours of usage out of it.

Whilst the 1005PE is not much different to the 1005HA Seashell, you do get a bigger hard drive, more robust keyboard and of course the extra battery life. As it’s at the same price point ($379) of the 1005HA, it also offers good value for money.

Asus is planning on launching two similar models the Eee PC 1005P and 1005PE. The 1005PE comes with a higher-capacity battery and larger hard drive. The Eee PC 1005PE will go on sale on 4th January 2010 for $379. There’s no word on UK launch details for now. Below you’ll find a list of all of the reviews that we’ve come across.

Summary of reviews

AnandTech:“Internally, the changes haven’t resulted in a system that’s significantly faster, but the one change is very noticeable. Our initial tests indicate that Pineview has improved battery life on the 1005 laptops by a whopping 25%. If you want a netbook that can last 10+ hours and you want to spend less than $400, the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE has exactly what you need.”

Engadget:“If you’ve been waiting for Pine Trail netbooks hoping for noticeably better performance and graphics, you’re not going to get it — and the truth is you probably won’t even notice the difference between the 1005PE and older Diamondville-based Eee PCs until you start using it on battery power alone.”

HotHardware:“Though the Atom N450 offers a better general computing experience for the Asus Eee PC 1005PE, we were left wanting a bit more on the multimedia side of the equation, with the system’s inability to handle even 720p content and struggling occasionally with certain flash video streams. Finally, what was more than impressive was that, even with its somewhat higher general computing performance, this Eee PC lasted longer on a battery charge than any other netbook we’ve tested to date.”

Laptop Mag:“While Intel’s new Atom N450 processor doesn’t really improve performance, the extra endurance it provides will certainly be welcome among netbook users. At $379, this netbook is a bargain, undercutting the Toshiba mini NB205 by $20 while lasting longer on a charge.”

Notebook Review:“Compared to the Eee PC 1005HA which got 9 hours and 37 minutes in our original battery test, the 1005PE managed over 12 hours … a 25 percent increase. If battery life is the most important feature you look at when buying a notebook, 40 bucks gets you over two hours of additional mobility.”

Tech Report:“Asus’ Eee PC 1005PE sticks to the old 10″ netbook formula, and it gets a lot of the little things right. The chassis is nice and solid, and the six-cell battery offers phenomenal run times.”